Dungeons & Dragons

Adventure #16

The Sky Elves Rescue

9

APR/17

Having acquired the Sky Ship, Pickles vowed to return for his fellow Sky Elves they left protected in Zeke’s safe house.

They made their way through the sewers to discover a Night Hag had moved her shanty into the canal they were at just a day ago. She refused to allow them to make a hole through her house to continue on, and they were quickly being flanked by a family of Gelatinous Cubes from behind, so they quickly climbed up to a grate. Pickles nearly suffered fatal injuries from a slip as he felt feet first into the mother cube, but Zaburk was able to pull him out before his legs were disintegrated.

On street level once again, they were in a desolate location of town. They explored a few avenues but soon found the familiar location they originally had reached to find Zeke. They followed it on to the alley near the market square.

Oddly enough, a Darkness spell had been cast in the small courtyard that led to the safe house. They tried inspecting it by sending their servant, Cedric, but he was unable to find the door. Pickles tried blasting a hole through the wall, but when he finally got what he thought was a hole, black tentacles erupted from the rooftop he stood on above the courtyard and tried to swing at him.

He leapt off the building to watch a female Drider magically push the two buildings that made the alley apart and emerged from the darkness. Zaburk and Cujo charged in together to engaged her while Pickles began trying to hit the Drider without striking his companions, struggling with each shot.

She took to the ceiling to begin lobbing arrows at the group after Zaburk disengaged to attack with range as well. Suddenly everyone was fighting for accuracy, but the Drider was truer and sent Zaburk down. She leapt over his unconscious body to fight Pickles, ignoring Cujo as the dog was virtually dead from her bites.

Pickles unleashed his Greatsword in desperation, knowing that he could go down as well with one good swing of her sword. Miraculously, he was able to send her to her maker by a mighty slice of his sword, cutting her into two pieces.

Before dying, she had told them they would never find the Sky Elves, but investigating the safe house, the two discover they have all been drained entirely of blood and laid in a familiar symbol on the ground. They recognize it to be those with yellow robes they have encountered in Chamber 13 and near the griffon’s nest in Raven’s Hollow.

Finding nothing else, they think to check with the King of Beggers to see if any information can be gathered. They make it to the market, noticing that this part of the city has been unnaturally quiet in all aspects despite the late hour, until they reach the market square. A team of Frost Giants are busily chipping at rock, ice and crystals in the cavern where their ship once rested. Their focus was directly at the location of Tanis’ fall into the chasm.

Making their way around the now gaping opening that which was the market square’s ground, they push their way through debris into the King of Begger’s home only to find him unconscious in his room. Pickles cautiously crosses a narrow wood beam to the ledge the obese man is laying on, dangling precariously on the lip into the cavern below, but Pickles fails to help him stabilize and allows the king to fall to the injuries he had.

At this point, they give up on the area having come up on all known dead ends until they discover a secret door in the foyer of the king’s house. It leads to a strange underground chamber far to the north of the city where a balcony overlooks below. A ritual is being conducted with perhaps 40 or 50 yellow robed figures. They have sky elves, all motionless, in the same symbol as before on a much grander scale. Their chanting is unfamiliar, so they take note and depart without being detected.

They wish to not go emptyhanded, knowing their ship is in need of repairs, so they venture to the Trade district in hopes of finding a blacksmith or carpenter to join their crew. Stopping on the way at the youth’s bookstore, they find a book describing similar rituals that they saw. The result suggested they were drawing power from another source for their own.

When they reach the Trade district, it is rather hot, and they are forced to remove their winter coats. It is crowded and busy this time of the morning, and there are numerous Frost Giants walking about. The two get separated trying to blend in and not be noticed. When Pickles realizes he’s alone, he tries retreat but a Frost Giant is making his way in his direction. Pickles deftly side steps between two merchant stalls, but is called out by one of them for being too far between. It draws the attention of the Frost Giant, who grabs the elf and draws him close. He shouts to his other giants in the area he’s found a Sky Elf…